Question

Two objects are connected to a rope, and the rope is hung over a pulley connected to the ceiling, as shown in the figure below.

Two objects, labeled m₁ and m₂, are connected to a rope which is hung over a pulley connected to the ceiling. The pulley is of mass M and radius R. An object labeled m₁ hangs suspended off the surface on the left side of the pulley. An object m₂ is on the right side of the pulley and rests on a surface below. m₁ is larger than m₂.

The masses of the objects are m₁ = 17.0 kg and m₂ = 11.0 kg, the mass of the pulley is M = 5.00 kg, and the radius of the pulley is R = 0.300 m. Object m₂ is initially on the floor, and object m₁ is initially 5.00 m above the floor when it is released from rest. The pulley's axis has negligible friction. The mass of the rope is small enough to be ignored, and the rope does not slip on the pulley, nor does it stretch.

(a)

How much time (in s) does it take object m₁ to hit the floor after being released?

Δt₁ =  s

(b)

How would your answer to part (a) change if the mass of the pulley were neglected? (Enter the time, in seconds, it takes object m₁ to hit the floor if the mass of the pulley were neglected.)

Δt₂ =  s

Answer 1